Idle-Free is the Way to Be

It used to be that you had to warm-up your car before driving it. But those days are in the past now, gone away with the carburetor. Thanks to fuel-injected engines idling isn’t just unnecessary, it is also bad for your vehicle.

Why?

According to the Hinkle Charitable Foundation most modern engines really only need a few seconds of idle time to be driven safely. In fact the best way to warm up a vehicle is to drive it, and that includes creature comfort when you are warming the vehicle due to cold weather. After just 30 seconds oil will have circulated your engine entirely.

Idling wastes fuel

When you leave your vehicle idling, you are wasting fuel. Depending on the size of your engine and its fuel type, you could be wasting half a cup to a full cup of gasoline daily. If you drive a diesel, an hour of idling will cost you a full gallon of fuel. Extrapolate those costs out through the year and you could be spending $60-$270 just by leaving your car running!

After 10 seconds, it is more fuel efficient to turn your vehicle off than to allow it to idle. “What about my battery,” you ask? The additional cost of wear and tear is no more than $10 annually, far less than what you spend by leaving your car to sit.

Exhaust fumes are bad for your health

Another reason not to leave your vehicle running is that it is bad for your health. Auto exhaust releases carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, and carcinogenic hydrocarbons in to air. These fumes have been linked to asthma, lung and heart disease, certain types of cancer, and other respiratory illnesses.

Cut down on your idle time and save yourself some money, as well as your family’s health!